Thread: Deer Population Growth

This vid is about Axis deer hunting on a Hawaii island (and is interesting) but there are many parallels with NZ that are discussed. In particular go to 11.00 and see the graphic on how numbers expand if females aren't culled/controlled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avBePIr-IpQ

Tell me about it. I saw over 40 deer on the weekend, in a place that barely anyone goes. I gave up counting. I’ll be heading back there after the roar to do a phat cull up. The numbers will explode exponentially in the next year or 2

Originally Posted by Tahr

This vid is about Axis deer hunting on a Hawaii island (and is interesting) but there are many parallels with NZ that are discussed. In particular go to 11.00 and see the graphic on how numbers expand if females aren't culled/controlled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avBePIr-IpQ

Lanai is like africa, everyone should hunt there at least once in their life.

Originally Posted by Jus

Tell me about it. I saw over 40 deer on the weekend, in a place that barely anyone goes. I gave up counting. I’ll be heading back there after the roar to do a phat cull up. The numbers will explode exponentially in the next year or 2

Wow, I haven't been out lately as its too hot

Nice hunting companion there with a cool rifle.Oh the deer,yes they breed like rabbits.I normal dont see a lot on the full moon,maybe 2-8.But last time out seen about 25 with in 1.5 ks on 98%full moon.All hungry walking to the feed areas,some by me.

Originally Posted by Jus

Tell me about it. I saw over 40 deer on the weekend, in a place that barely anyone goes. I gave up counting. I’ll be heading back there after the roar to do a phat cull up. The numbers will explode exponentially in the next year or 2

Yeah, I know a couple of spots like that.

The numbers have already exploded. Last time out (mid Jan) the hinds were out with their fawns, plus lone stags, small groups of spikers, yearlings. From a high vantage point looking out over a large station west to east, every single grassy face I could see from me to over 4km away was carrying red deer. 15mins before the sun dipped below the ridge behind me, they were lit up like little red baubles on a Christmas tree. Hundreds and hundreds of deer. The challenge is that this station has been retired and is now largely scrub for honey production. So the deer have a free pass to a huge acreage of good feed with no sheep competition, and plenty of scrubby cover that provides effective safe harbour. There are numerous native blocks on the steeper ridge lines that are the deer / goat highways - go in there and there is zero understory and an unreal network of well worn trails. Sit quietly looking into the wind in the mid- to late afternoon, a deer or several is guaranteed to pass by sooner rather than later, right under your nose. The surrounding farms don’t stand a fucking chance. Those that have some semblance of control have someone on the block shooting deer at least weekly and often two or three times a week.

To those that don’t see or shoot deer very often it must sound highly attractive! But if you’re shooting deer day in, day out, it quickly becomes a chore and the constant killing can get to you. I don’t mind admitting that I’ve tired of it recently and I’m taking a break to concentrate on other things.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

To those that don’t see or shoot deer very often it must sound highly attractive! But if you’re shooting deer day in, day out, it quickly becomes a chore and the constant killing can get to you. I don’t mind admitting that I’ve tired of it recently and I’m taking a break to concentrate on other things.

It's good to see someone else admit to that, it happened to me when I was guiding, we knocked over 900 deer in a couple of years really took the fun and drive out of it for a while it's taken a while for the excitement of the hunt to return but it has now.

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Always cracks me up how people boast seeing "too many" deer in their "secret spot".

Plenty of new and young hunters that would be keen if somebody showed them those "secret spots" of yours.

Some good information on how that works here too.

Key piece of information in there is the quality of deer is at a maximum when the population is at a minimum.

https://www.msudeer.msstate.edu/popu...cs-of-deer.php

This second page talks about habitat carrying capacity. That's a metric I've often thought we are missing in NZ (unless I've missed it), i.e. how many deer (or Tahr, pigs etc etc) can a specific area hold that will produce high quality animals and minimal damage to the environment. Reckon it's just pretty chaotic here in NZ. It could be useful knowing we need to take ~600 deer from the southern Ruahines in the next year for example, and then hunters got to work doing that.

https://www.msudeer.msstate.edu/deer...g-capacity.php

Good share

Originally Posted by STC

Always cracks me up how people boast seeing "too many" deer in their "secret spot".

Plenty of new and young hunters that would be keen if somebody showed them those "secret spots" of yours.

yes but I have lost now two good spots in last few years by taking so called friends down only to have them do the dirty on me and then take their mates back and stuff it up for me - despite asking them to respect the fact that I had the permission - one now called the prick even camped out on one spot with his mates and when spoken to by cocky dropped my name into it - I lost a neat little block as next time I rang I was refused access - so those of us who have spent a lot of time and effort to find good areas do guard that permission somewhat

Great to see some people agreeing we have a problem that is growing rapidly. Hopefully, this means that there will be better acceptance when landowners, regional councils, and public land administrators start to better fund the management of deer numbers in NZ.

WARO is happening but in low numbers and mainly in the easier country (mainly private). So this will have little impact on what people are seeing out there.

The most efficient times to manage hinds is ALWAYS, this is inclusive of when in late pregnancy and when fawns are "at foot" (cull the fawn too). The mindset of not shooting them while pregnant could be considered short-sighted and only make the problem worse than the direction it is currently headed.

We are at a stage where only shooting enough that you can carry, isn't enough to help the balance between numbers and forest preservation, and of course, the overall quality of stags and bucks as already stated.

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

yes but I have lost now two good spots in last few years by taking so called friends down only to have them do the dirty on me and then take their mates back and stuff it up for me - despite asking them to respect the fact that I had the permission - one now called the prick even camped out on one spot with his mates and when spoken to by cocky dropped my name into it - I lost a neat little block as next time I rang I was refused access - so those of us who have spent a lot of time and effort to find good areas do guard that permission somewhat

Totally understand where you are coming from.

However If one choses to believe the "there are too many deer" narrative there essentially are 2 options: share the spots with "too many deer" and accept that that will not the case for long or give in to the 1080/pest eradication propaganda that some actors are pushing for in this thread.

Originally Posted by STC

Totally understand where you are coming from.

However If one choses to believe the "there are too many deer" narrative there essentially are 2 options: share the spots with "too many deer" and accept that that will not the case for long or give in to the 1080/pest eradication propaganda that some actors are pushing for in this thread.

1080 will never be used to eradicate deer. But aerial shooting operations are looming - in many areas there are too many deer. Most farmers though don't realise the high populations on their properties - they aren't looking for them and aren't ninja'ing around at the right times.
Honestly though and to keep things in perspective, I don't tell some farmers how many deer I see on their properties for fear of a gun ship reprisal or them opening their gates to other hunters. There's naked self interest for you.

Originally Posted by STC

Totally understand where you are coming from.

However If one choses to believe the "there are too many deer" narrative there essentially are 2 options: share the spots with "too many deer" and accept that that will not the case for long or give in to the 1080/pest eradication propaganda that some actors are pushing for in this thread.

I had agreed to numbers to be taken and frequency with both the two blocks involved - and in both cases the cocky did not give out access - if I introduced other hunters to a landowner who is then happy to let them thru well and good - another thing is cockys now are shit scared of HSE and possible repercussions for them should an accident occur - and many have no lack of hunters themselves - access has always been the hard one - but just a point on 1080 and deer DOC policy does not allow deliberate targeting of deer with 1080 and long may that continue - but some of the other agencys like Regional Councils well they sacary

Originally Posted by STC

Totally understand where you are coming from.

However If one choses to believe the "there are too many deer" narrative there essentially are 2 options: share the spots with "too many deer" and accept that that will not the case for long or give in to the 1080/pest eradication propaganda that some actors are pushing for in this thread.

No offence intended whatsoever but I think this is a very naive view.

The property I was referring to above is adjacent to my permissions. I sit on the boundary and look out over this neighbouring station. I have no rights on that property. The only way the deer could ever be controlled on there would be with helicopter shooting. And in time I am quite sure that is what will happen.

Neither you and your mates nor anyone else on foot would make the slightest bit of difference, such is the terrain.

I know how many deer are getting shot in helicopter culls in that part of the world, and if I said it here, you wouldn’t believe me.

This has got bugger all to do with my “secret spots”. I am just one of several guys that shoot the adjacent farms on a regular basis. There’s nothing secret about it whatsoever.

The way I interpret your response is that there is a hefty dose of envy, which is getting in the way of understanding the practical realities. Like I say I do not mean to offend but sometimes some attitude adjustment needs to happen to be able to see a problem for what it really is.